What connects you to another, to all — across space, time, and divided minds?
At the source of every interaction, you can choose what leads you and how that aids you in deciphering meaning in your experience.
What gifts are buried in angles, layers, and movement according to perspective? If there are no gifts to be seen, are you willing to move a little more for sake of connection?
“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment! Cleverness is opinion; bewilderment is vision.” – RUMI
How can embracing what baffles you bring you into sharper focus and possibly lead you to receiving beyond what you thought possible?
What flows to a receptive mind that may otherwise go unnoticed by one that’s busy being clever?
The spring of love arrives
to transform the dust into a garden.
The call is heard from the heavens
to bid the wings of soul to fly.
The sea becomes filled with pearls.
The dry land receives the water of life.
The stone becomes a ruby,
and the body becomes all soul.
-RUMI
What is wishing to be transformed in your life? How can love lift the dust and guide you to the areas that are ready to be tended for growth and blossoming?
““Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.” – Hermann Hesse
How can deep, intentional listening in nature or another quiet space open up a greater sense of contentment and self acceptance?
“Just because the world is heavy doesn’t mean you can’t stay soft. Soft as air. Soft as dreams. Go gently. Trust. Walk. Breathe.” – Victoria Erickson, Edge of Wonder
We have progressed into a new year and it seems hopes for better have been pinned to the turning of a calendar. What if instead of counting on the days to be different, you watched yourself for difference? How can you notice the external and quietly, gently flow with the internal that is yours to navigate? Whatever you see happening around you need not be a determinant of your way of being or the energy you call forward.
How can you be fresh for what appears to be old, outdated, and maybe a little too heavy? How can you be as light as air, as expansive as a dream, or as soft as an idea just glimpsed? What would it take to nudge you gently to the zero point, where you can strip away what you think you know about yourself and this world?
Some questions to consider for guidance in finding your own silver lining whenever you need:
1.How can you honor whatever this day brings your way?
2.What do you know about yourself that will support you most? Notice your strengths!
3.What are you grateful for and celebrating?
✨You have everything you need for bliss. There’s no need to seek contentment elsewhere. Be or make your own silver lining and if you’re able, share it with someone else. ✨
Much love and good wishes to you all!
From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll:
“Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said, “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
What seems impossible at this moment that could have an altered path or perception that has yet to be seen by you? How can you open to what you haven’t considered? Sometimes stepping back or away and letting go allows room for new ideas and understanding to come forward.
What becomes possible when you stop defining impossible?
What happens if you let yourself lean into the world of ideas and visions, if you make room for a quiet unknowing space? What if you allow anything that wants to present in that openness? That is where everything is possible…
What would it be like to align with possibility and move with nature in the present cycle of letting go? What can fall away for you so that new growth and new possibilities can take shape?
One thing to ask yourself as you go through the next days and make choices about your activities:
Will this be nourishing to me or to someone else ?
That is not to compare and suggest that one of those is in greater standing than the other, but simply to check in with yourself and notice your choices. Is the next thing you’re going to choose nourishing in some way to someone? If the answer is no and you proceed, how does that unfold? If the answer is yes and you proceed, how does that unfold?
Let yourself notice how nourishing choices show up in your life.
You’re invited to add more positivity to your life!
If something comes up that is difficult for you, could you possibly find something else in your life that balances that difficult thing? This doesn’t mean that you ignore what’s going on – deal with what is before you – but see if you can find one or two other things that are holding steady at their usual or even going well. Choose to divert some of your thinking to what you like or can appreciate right now in this moment.
Try this with yourself:
What do I like in this moment?
What’s good? What’s not wrong?
_______________________
I’ve been slowly implementing this practice for about eight years and I am so glad that I’ve had this understanding in my toolkit. It works. It lifts. It moves and shifts negative or stagnant energy. It may even help you to experience very little negative.
There was damage to my home during a recent storm in areas that have had work in the past year or so, all now needing similar repairs again. I stood there watching water pour into a room around a light fixture and across the ceiling into the wall, bubbling up under the paint, with almost no emotional reaction, acting enough in response to collect water in a bucket, bring in towels, look at the roof, call the roofer, and take pictures of it for insurance purposes. I also took a long pause in rooms that look like they always do to appreciate the fact that while some things need work – other areas are just fine! This thinking and response are direct result of practicing looking for what I like in each day. I’ve even noticed that I can look for what I like in situations where personal connections are linked in ways that could be perceived as unfavorable, which many would find more challenging including myself —- until I remember that I have choice and I can always take a moment to find what I like in every situation, be that a part of the situation or something else altogether.
Anyone can do this, with awareness and with a want for calm, soothing peace. How do you want to close off your days, even the difficult ones? I hope you can do it with a bit more positivity and find consistent wellbeing in this practice!
“You can do it like it’s a great weight, or you can do it like it’s part of the dance.” — Ram Dass
Creation and growth are not only beautiful and joyful, but uncomfortable, sometimes difficult, and painful. Accepting and working with what is uncomfortable, what is hidden, what feels more natural to the shadow, can bring forth the most beautiful expressions when they’re ready for the light.
Presence and Positivity 